Karnataka reports sharp spike in dengue cases, health officials on alert

Karnataka reports sharp spike in dengue cases, health officials on alert

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Nov 20, 2021: As parts of Karnataka continue to see heavy rains due to weather systems forming in the Bay of Bengal, the state has seen a sharp rise in the number of dengue infections between September and November this year, causing the state Health Department searching for ways to mitigate the spread of the disease.

 

Between September 15 and November 17, Karnataka saw a sudden spurt of 84% in the number of dengue cases. The state had recorded 2,987 dengue cases till September 2021. However, after heavy and untimely rains, a total of 2,516 new cases were recorded till November 17, 2021 from September 2021. According to the Health Department, over one lakh tests were conducted in the state for dengue symptoms this year, of which more than 40% were done in Bengaluru.

As many as 1,038 cases of dengue were reported in Bengaluru alone in 2021. In the month of November, 117 persons tested positive. After Bengaluru, Shivamogga district reported 393, followed by Kalaburgi (386), Udupi (312) and Koppal (278), health department sources explain.

Incessant rains, water stagnation points, pits, and garbage dumps have been the cause for mosquitoes to breed, causing dengue, according to Health Department officials.

Five people succumbed to dengue in Karnataka in October, from Dakshina Kannada, Chamarajanagar and Ramanagara districts.

The Health department has taken up precautionary measures to tackle the situation in coordination with National Vector Borne Disease Control Programmes (NVBDCP) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

According to The Hindu, 16% of the state’s total cases in 2021 were reported in Bengaluru, and the city continued to record the highest number of positive cases. The city’s dengue cases doubled in October to 717, as compared to 351 cases in July. The report also states that Karnataka has seen a pattern of spiking dengue cases every alternate year.

Courtesy:The News Minute